Does your county, city or school district fund your robotics program

[DonRotolo]

My old team (1676 in NJ) received some funding from the board of education (about $6-8k) plus a head coach stipend with 2 or 3 assistant coach stipends ($2-3k about). But this is a team that has more than a dozen major sponsors, over 100 students, in a well-off district, in high-tax New Jersey.

My new team (832 in Georgia) gets nothing from the school, aside from space. The coach doesn't even get a stipend, and he puts in as much time as anyone. Indeed, they need to collect dues from students or the team would not be viable. I am starting work to get more sponsors, but that takes time. The team is workong with the school board (county schools...) to get a dedicated practice space. Both are just in their infancy.

[Cothron Theiss]

We do not receive any monetary support from the school board, district, or schools. We are legally affiliated with one of the 5 high schools in the county, but we have members from all the schools in the county and homeschooled student(s). While we don't get funding, the high school we are affiliated with allows the old band room to double as the school's STEM classroom and our lab. In return, we buy equipment/tools/machinery with our funds that become the school's property. It works, and has worked for the past two years we've had this arrangement. The odd circumstances arise largely from the fact that the school board doesn't support us whatsoever, but my school's principals are some of our biggest fans, so they try and do everything they can to support us.

[Chief Hedgehog]

Here in Becker, MN the school has allowed the use of space. They support the team and the administration does come to our events.

This last month the School Board looked at providing the team with full funding - but when they saw our overall budget they were more than happy to pay for two coaching positions. We are very happy with this arrangement.